BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team dropped its 2017 season finale 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-20) at the Steinberg Wellness Center on Saturday evening.
With the win, the Blackbirds (18-9, 11-3 NEC) clinched at least a tie for the Northeast Conference title.Â
Freshman
Magdalena Maksimovic led the Knights (5-24, 1-13 NEC) with nine kills in the loss, while senior libero
Carly O'Sullivan tallied 19 digs in her final match. O'Sullivan finishes her career with 1,430 digs, which is sixth most in program history.
In the first set, the Knights stayed within three points of LIU until the Blackbirds rattled off five straight tallies to stretch a 9-7 lead into a 14-7 advantage. The lead ballooned to 19-9 before the Blackbirds finalized the 1-0 match lead.
A 12-5 lead in the second set, proved to be insurmountable as the home team maintained its distance and won the second frame by 10. In the third set, the Knights dug an early hole by falling behind 7-1. The Knights regrouped and played evenly with the Blackbirds for the duration but were unable to overcome the slow start as the home team captured the five-point win and the match.
Sophomore Abilgail Strebig finished second on the Knights with eight kills and posted a team-high .316 attack percentage. Freshman setter
Allison Koester dished out 15 assists and totaled 17 digs, which are both career-highs for the first-year Knight.
Masa Zirojevic and Nina Petranovic led the charge for the Blackbirds with 11 kills apiece. Petranovic amassed a double-double by adding 15 digs to her line along with two service aces.
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